


Conversations in a SHIELD Detention Centre

by Diary



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Conversations, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24025735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: AU. "I'll be here until eight." Complete.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Conversations in a SHIELD Detention Centre

Clint sits down outside of the cell. “Hey, Ward. Agent Romanov asked me to come today. A trainee is going through a rough time, and she’s trying to help ‘em out.”

Scoffing, Grant leans back against the wall.

Playing with a bouncy ball, Clint responds, “Yeah. It’s not like anyone was ever there to help us when we were going through hell, was it? Or Tasha, for that matter. Anyway, you know the drill: Just like her, I’ll be here until eight.”

“You’re both wasting your time.”

Surprise crossing his face, Clint looks over.

“Coulson isn’t wrong.”

Clint shrugs. “Coulson’s still a dedicated agent. But he’s changed. I don’t blame him for washing his hands of you. If you’d done to me and mine what you did to him and his team, I’d’ve done the same.”

“Torture, though, the Coulson I knew never would have done that.”

Grant looks away.

“Look, I’m a temporary replacement. I don’t want to undo any progress Nat might have made, but keeping you isolated like that, it was torture. After you tried to kill yourself, he broke a million rules by not handing you over to be processed in a SHIELD detention centre.”

“John wanted all those shut down.”

“So does Dr Banner. You’re allowed to write to people, you know. You could write to him. He’d probably write back.”

Grant looks at him. “I’m not sorry for anything I did.”

“Do you think Tash doesn’t know that? Doesn’t believe it?”

“Then, why does she come every week?”

“Because, unlike everyone else here, you’ve never had a visitor until she showed up. You haven’t made any friends here. Or even just found someone to play a friendly game of cards with. And for all you made your own decisions, she places most of the blame on John Garrett for that.”

“Am I the only one she visits?”

Clint chuckles. “Not by a long shot.”

There’s silence.

“And you?”

“Me? You’re not the first one she’s asked me to visit when she was too busy dealing with something else. Being brutally honest, I can’t say I particularly care about you or any of the others. I hate the fact Coulson has become the type to torture someone, but I decided a long time ago to stop caring about why people I didn’t know did bad things.”

“A few exceptions have slipped through since I made that call, and Natasha turned out to be one of them. But she still cares. She wants to try to give others who have a history of severe abuse the chance she got, and if it turns out they absolutely don’t deserve it, she still wants to make sure they have someone who will be there to help them on the small chance they do ever change.”

“Including Loki?”

“Loki isn’t here,” Clint calmly answers. “If he were, I don’t know how me or her either one would feel. Whatever she thought, I know she wouldn’t do what Coulson did to you. She wouldn’t let me.”

Grant stays quiet for the rest of the visit.

…

“Grant.” Natasha sits down. “Sorry I couldn’t make it last week.”

Grant looks over at her, and giving him a neutral smile, she continues, “I’ll be here until eight.”

Then, she closes her eyes until she hears him moving.

He’s sitting facing her.

They study one another.

Taking a deep breath, he lets it out. “I’m ready to talk now.”

She nods. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Did Barton tell you what I said last week?”

“No. He wouldn’t, and I’m unlikely to tell him or anyone else what you say, either. I’m not a psychiatrist or psychologist, but I apply the same standards they would to any discussions you and I might have.”

“I miss John.”

“That’s understandable.”


End file.
